The first few days of free agency have come and gone. With the weekend upon us, it’s time to take a look at three players who realistically could sign with the Washington Redskins.
Every year, the NFL free agent signing period starts off with a bang. During legal tampering and the first few days of the free agent fest, players fly off the board quickly with countless players changing teams and hundreds of millions of dollars being spent. Then, things tend to slow down a bit.
That said, there are still quite a few quality players left on the board. Sure, most of the top guys are gone, but there are still solid starters to be had and rotation players galore. Often, the teams that are able to be successful in the second wave of free agency get bargains compared to those who jump early. Perhaps that is why the Redskins have elected to mostly stand pat, save for their retention of Dustin Hopkins and Zach Brown and their signing of Paul Richardson.
But now, with the second wave ready to begin, it seems likely that the Redskins are going to make some sort of move to land some other quality contributors. Here’s a look at three of the most logical options who the Redskins could sign to bolster their roster.
There were many people who were upset when the Redskins lost out on Dontari Poe this offseason. Poe inked a three-year, $27 million contract to join the Carolina Panthers, but it was reported that the Redskins had interest in him. Poe is a quality nose tackle, and landing him at that price would have shored up a big weakness for the Redskins.
While many of the other top options on the defensive line market have evaporated, save for Ndamukong Suh, who has visited the Seahawks, Saints and Titans, there is still one steady option available. That would be Bennie Logan of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Logan isn’t exactly a household name because he isn’t a superstar. That said, Logan is one of the best run-stuffing nose tackles in the NFL. After spending the first four years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Logan went to the Kansas City Chiefs for a year and performed well. Logan isn’t a pass rusher at all, he has seven sacks in five career seasons, but he can stop the run better than most others in the league. And that’s something the Redskins desperately need.
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In the past few years, the Redskins have lacked a quality option at the nose tackle position. They’ve had to settle for Kedric Golston and the out-of-position Ziggy Hood to man the spot, and that has predictably not gone well. The team absolutely needs to find a quality nose tackle this offseason, and getting Logan would be a smart move.
Also, because Logan isn’t as versatile and isn’t much of a pass rusher, he would come at a discounted price. It seems likely that Logan will get a deal that pays between $5-6 million annually, and that would be an affordable move for the Redskins. Logan is also just 28, so even a three or four year deal could work, as he likely wouldn’t regress during that time frame.
The only reason that Logan might not make sense is if the Redskins are going to take a first round nose tackle. They have a high level of interest in Da’Ron Payne, and they could also become interested in Vita Vea depending on how the board shakes out. If they are confident they can land one of those two guys, then signing Logan wouldn’t be necessary.
Coming into the offseason, a lot of the buzz at the rush linebacker position was around Trent Murphy. It was clear that the Redskins wanted to retain him, and it wasn’t expected that he would have a huge market. However, his market ended up being hot, and he signed a deal with the Buffalo Bills instead. That opened up a hole at the No. 3 edge rush position that needs to be filled.
The Redskins could choose to fill this need easily. In fact, very easily. Junior Galette was a free agent heading into the 2018 offseason, and he is still on the market. Galette was a solid rotational option for the team last year, and has a history of producing at a high rate. So, he could be a very logical fit in that role for another season.
I spoke in depth about why the Redskins have to strongly consider bringing back Galette in a recent piece. Here’s what I said about his abilities in that piece.
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"While Galette may be looking for a starting job, and starter money at that, the market may not develop much for him. It’s worth noting that while he did play all 16 games in 2017, he had missed the previous two seasons in full due to Achilles tears. A team relying on Galette would need to have a solid insurance policy if they are going to use him as a top option. That said, the Redskins could bring him back and have him reprise his role as a quality pressure man who often set the table for Kerrigan and other players on the defense. He could improve with another fully healthy offseason under his belt, and that would make his comeback all the more impressive."
Aside from Galette’s strong ability, the Redskins need to keep a quality backup in the fold if they want to have that position remain a strength. It was weakened by the departure of Trent Murphy, so keeping Galette would be huge to mitigate that loss.
Also, it’s worth noting that not many rumors have swirled around regarding Galette. That could mean he will be involved in the secondary wave of free agent activity, or it could mean that he is garnering less interest than initially expected. Either way, the Redskins should try to jump and make a move soon, as retaining Galette would be a high-quality move for the team.
The Redskins have been tied to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie this free agent season. They had him visit during the legal tampering period, and there appeared to be a level of interest in both sides. However, as is normally the case in free agency, money was the issue, and the mutual interest hasn’t resulted in anything.
It’s unknown how much Rodgers-Cromartie was asking for, but the fact is that he is a 32-year-old cornerback coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2017. DRC didn’t record an interception for the first time since 2011, and had just a single pass defensed during the year. And it wasn’t for lack of being on the field. Rodgers-Cromartie appeared in 15 games and played 55 percent of the defensive snaps on the year. So, his production dip wasn’t related to difference in playing time, though it could have had to do with his shift to the slot corner position.
Also, it’s worth noting that Rodgers-Cromartie was suspended for a game after clashing with coaches during what was a tumultuous season for the Giants. It’s possible that the coaching staff played a role in Rodgers-Cromartie’s decline as well, whether he wasn’t motivated by them or they just didn’t help him to improve.
Despite these concerns, DRC is still a talented corner, and he would be an ideal fit in the slot for the Redskins. As it stands, the team doesn’t have a logical replacement for the departed Kendall Fuller at slot corner. Second year man Fabian Moreau should get consideration, but the team’s interest in Rodgers-Cromartie could demonstrate that they would prefer to keep Moreau on the outside to further his development.
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If Rodgers-Cromartie and the Redskins can agree on a price, it seems likely that DRC would be a Redskin. There is a mutual interest, and given the cap space the Redskins have available, they could make him an enticing offer that also doesn’t break the bank. For that reason, don’t be surprised if Rodgers-Cromartie is wearing the burgundy and gold next season.